As of September 2016[update], the number of Syrians in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be between 500,000 and 2.5 million,[2][3] and consists mainly of temporary foreign workers.[4] According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' representative for the Persian Gulf region, Syrian nationals are referred to as "Arab brothers and sisters in distress".[1] Saudi Arabia does not consider Syrians as refugees. They are provided free access to education and healthcare, and allowed to take up jobs.[3]

The CIA World Factbook estimated that as of 2013[update], foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia made up about 21% of the population. Total number of Syrians in Saudi Arabia was 100,000 before the start of Syrian Civil War[6]

Saudi Arabia, like all the other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention,[7] which mandates member states to protect refugees within their country. However, according to a Saudi official, Saudi Arabia has issued residency permits to 100,000 Syrians.[5] On the other hand, the BBC claims, "Most successful cases are Syrians already in the Gulf states extending their stays, or those entering because they have family there,"[4] and, "No Syrians claiming asylum have been taken in by Saudi Arabia or other wealthy Gulf countries."[8]

Syrians in Saudi Arabia include migrants from Syria to Saudi Arabia and their descendants. The number of Syrians in Saudi Arabia (referred to as "Arab brothers and sisters in distress") was estimated to be at around 500,000[1] people in August 2015 and consisted mainly of temporary foreign workers.[4][1]

Saudi foreign ministry officials claim that the nation has received nearly 2.5 million Syrians since 2011.[9][10] However, the BBC reports that Saudi Arabia has let in 500,000 Syrian refugees since 2011,[11] while Arab News reported that Saudi Arabia was already home to 500,000 Syrians[12] Saudi Arabia claims to have granted 100,000 Syrians residency. An official from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Saudi Arabia "made it a point not to deal with them as 'refugees'."[5]

Some Western media outlets have criticized the international community for saying that Saudi Arabia has taken no refugees. The Huffington Post has claimed that outlets in the US have exploited a technicality used by the UN to count Syrian refugees, and that it is more plausible that 500,000 Syrian refugees are currently in Saudi Arabia.[2]